Who needs a firewall?

It may seem attractive for you to find out who exactly needs a firewall, and if they ignore having one, what will happen to them. We will start our article by defining a firewall and name a few of its functions; then, we will see why it is needed and who needs it.

About firewalls

A firewall is a piece of software or hardware placed between your computer and the Internet. The rules defined for it protect your network, server, or computer system against malicious data entry and exit. And it protects the unwanted sending of information in spyware and hacker attacks. This allows you to have a secure connection with others easily. The firewall places your computer completely in an isolated environment using a "wall of code" that examines all incoming or outgoing packets and decides whether these packets are allowed to pass through the wall or are needed to be blocked or not. According to the importance of creating security and protection of information in today's digital world, the use of firewalls in personal systems, organizations, and offices is essential.

What does a this do?

A firewall controls the incoming and outgoing traffic and complies with the defined criteria on itself, and prevents unauthorized access to the network. The functions of a firewall are as follows:

- Resource protection

- Validate access

- Manage and control network traffic

- Record and submit reports of events

- Act as an intermediary

Types of this

Firewalls come in two forms: hardware (external) and software (internal):

- Hardware

Hardware firewalls or network firewalls are programs installed on the hardware by manufacturers and are installed as an external component in the path of a router. Different types of hardware firewalls, due to their high speed and efficiency, are mostly used in large administrative and commercial organizations and are usually not used for personal use and small organizations due to the high cost of implementation.

- Software

Software firewalls are installed and set up on the operating system to create security and control input and output data. Most operating systems include a software firewall by default, and they must be enabled to create a level of protection and security. If your system's operating system does not have a firewall, you should prepare and launch a software firewall. Its initial installation is similar to other software and does not require special technical knowledge.

What is the difference between software and hardware firewalls? The speed and level of security and the cost of running and using hardware firewalls are higher than software.

Types of its in terms of security level

The main task of all firewalls is to protect the system against intrusion and unauthorized access, but they do this task differently in each type. In this regard, they are divided into five categories:

1. Circuit Level Firewall

2. Proxy Server

3. Packet Filtering

4. Stateful inspection

5. Personal Firewall

How to choose a suitable firewall?

One of the main concerns of corporate network backers is choosing the right firewall to create maximum security. To know which firewall can be the best choice, you should consider the conditions and needs of your organization. Choosing a firewall requires careful consideration so that you do not face problems in the future.

It is important to consider the following to select the appropriate:

- The desired Firewall's update status

- The status of the desired firewall's support in the world

- The simplicity or complexity of managing a firewall

- Resources and tutorials available for setup and settings

The ones who need

The term "firewall" was first used in 1764 when a wall was used to prevent fire from spreading to all building parts. The term was used in computer network security in the 1980s when routers used a firewall to isolate networks. A firewall is a system or set of systems that sit on the edge of an Internet connection and enforce access control policies between two or more networks. The rules and tasks defined for a firewall are known as rules. The tasks of a firewall are extensive, but there are generally two basic tasks: One is to block traffic, and the other is to allow traffic to pass. Probably the most important thing you need to do to use a firewall properly is strict access control policies. If you do not have a good idea of the type of authorized and unauthorized access, a firewall will not help. Another important issue is configuring the firewall because the necessary policies are applied to everything behind it, and sometimes incorrect configuration causes more problems than when you do not have a firewall. In addition, in most cases, the firewall is located in a network that has many hosts, and those who manage the firewall have a heavy responsibility.

The simplest question to ask is when do people need a firewall?

If you want to connect to the Internet or other networks, you need a firewall, and it does not matter if you are at the home, company, or elsewhere. Sometimes to counter unreliable agents who intend to send data (for example, to counter hackers and DoS attackers ), sometimes to prevent traffic from being sent out of the organization, sometimes to control emails, and so on. In addition, the firewall provides a wealth of information about the volume of incoming and outgoing traffic, the number of calls, and the type of traffic and can notify you if needed. However, a firewall alone can not provide complete security of systems, much of the intrusion is through USB flash drives, and the data is sometimes stolen, and no encryption is applied to them.

Next-Generation

We need more advanced firewalls because attacks and malware are becoming more and more complex. Organizational communications are not limited to just one email but also include instant data exchange, VoIP, peer-to-peer applications, video streaming, and more. NGFW is part of third-generation firewall technology that combines traditional firewalls with other network filtering technologies, such as an application firewall or intrusion control system (IDS). Other technologies can also be used, including TLS / SSL encrypted traffic inspection, website filtering, bandwidth and service management, antivirus inspection. The purpose of NGFW is to cover more layers of the OSI model and improve network traffic filtering related to packet content. These types of firewalls have a deeper inspection than the first and second-generation firewalls, examine the contents of packets, and match signatures for attacks and malware. This is why security is moving towards content-centricity. This is why security systems are built on situational information such as time, place, device, and business performance. These security systems are suitable for mobile and cloud environments and can perform well if exposed to unwanted conditions.

Firewall based on machine learning

It has always been an idea that a firewall should not always be ordered. Operating the firewall and making changes to the rule will deal with new and unknown threats. Mistakes that occur in the application of restrictions can also be corrected. These firewalls are based on machine learning models looking for data connections. We will see better performance using traffic analysis, location, and many other factors. These firewalls are an excellent option to deal with hackers who also use machine learning to streamline their work.

Misconceptions about software firewalls

- The firewall can detect and block malware

The main purpose of a software firewall is to cover system entry points that hackers can use to infiltrate a computer. Software firewalls are not built to detect malware. When there is active malware on the computer, it is too late. Because the malware succeeds, it can most likely disable the firewall and manipulate the system settings. This does not mean that firewalls are useless; they are not designed to detect and block malware. Their job is to control the incoming and outgoing traffic. Detecting malware is the job of antivirus and anti-malware.

- Firewalls always have HIPS technology

HIPS technology is suitable for expert users who can analyze the generated alerts and take the necessary steps to increase security as much as possible. However, HIPS technology is still very useful for users. Since the antivirus and anti-malware behavior system has borrowed from HIPS, the false antivirus warnings have been greatly reduced, and in contrast, their detection rate has increased significantly, especially in Zero-Day cases.